Geosciences, Physical Geography Concentration (Physical Geography), B.S.

Geosciences
616-898-2726
Jeremy Aber, program coordinator
Jeremy.Aber@mtsu.edu

This program is designed for students who plan to become professional geographers or who wish to pursue graduate study in geography and/or related fields.

Academic Map

Following is a printable, suggested four-year schedule of courses:

Geoscience, Physical Geography (Physical Geography Career Pattern), B.S. Academic Map

Degree Requirements

General Education (41 hours)

General Education requirements (shown in curricular listings below) include courses in Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences.

The following courses are required by the program and can satisfy the respective General Education requirement:

GEOL 1030/1031 or GEOL 1041/1041 (Nat Sci)
MATH 1530 (Math) or MATH 1710 (Math)

Major Requirements (43 hours)

A minimum GPA of 2.00 is required in the major.

GEOL 1030 - Introduction to Earth Science 3 credit hours AND
GEOL 1031 - Introduction to Earth Science Lab 1 credit hour
OR
GEOL 1040 - Physical Geology 4 credit hours AND
GEOL 1041 - Physical Geology Lab 0 credit hours
GEOL 3010 - Oceanography 3 credit hours
GEOL 4020 - Geomorphic Regions of the United States 4 credit hours
GEOL 4050 - Meteorology 3 credit hours
GEOL 4120 - Environmental Geology 4 credit hours
PGEO 1030 - Physical Geography 4 credit hours
PGEO 3401 - Field Studies in Physical Geography 4 credit hours
PGEO 4000 - Climatology and Climate Change 3 credit hours
PGEO 4380 - Cartography 4 credit hours
PGEO 4490 - Remote Sensing 4 credit hours
PGEO 4530 - Geographic Information Systems 3 credit hours
PGEO/GEOL elective 3-5 credits

Cognate (18 hours)

MATH 1530 - Applied Statistics 3 credit hours
MATH 1710 - College Algebra 3 credit hours
PLSO 3340 - Fundamentals of Soil Science 3 credit hours
Mentor-approved College of Basic and Applied Sciences coursework 9 credit hours

Electives

To make 120 hours; mentor-approved electives

Total hours in program: 120

Curriculum: Geoscience, Physical Geography Concentration (Physical Geography)

Curricular listings include General Education requirements in Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences categories.

Following is a suggested pattern of study for the first two years; however, consultation with the assigned advisor is necessary before registration.

Freshman

ENGL 1010 - Expository Writing 3 credit hours (Comm)
ENGL 1020 - Research and Argumentative Writing 3 credit hours (Comm)
COMM 2200 - Fundamentals of Communication 3 credit hours (Comm)
PGEO 1030 - Physical Geography 4 credit hours
GEOL 4050 - Meteorology 3 credit hours
Social/Behavioral Sciences 3 credit hours
Natural Sciences 4 credit hours
Mathematics (Math) 3 credit hours
GEOL 1030 - Introduction to Earth Science 3 credit hours AND
GEOL 1031 - Introduction to Earth Science Lab 1 credit hour
OR
GEOL 1040 - Physical Geology 4 credit hours AND
GEOL 1041 - Physical Geology Lab 0 credit hours

Subtotal: 30 Hours

Sophomore

ENGL 2020 - Themes in Literature and Culture 3 credit hours (Hum/FA) OR
ENGL 2030 - The Experience of Literature 3 credit hours (Hum/FA) OR
HUM 2610 - Foreign Literature in Translation 3 credit hours (Hum/FA)
GEOL 4020 - Geomorphic Regions of the United States 4 credit hours
PGEO 4380 - Cartography 4 credit hours
PGEO 4530 - Geographic Information Systems 3 credit hours
PGEO 4490 - Remote Sensing 4 credit hours
Cognate(s) 6 credit hours
Humanities and/or Fine Arts 3 credit hours
Choose 6 hours from:
HIST 2010 - Survey of United States History I 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2020 - Survey of United States History II 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2030 - Tennessee History 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 33 Hours

Junior

PLSO 3340 - Fundamentals of Soil Science 3 credit hours
MATH 1530 - Applied Statistics 3 credit hours
GEOL 3010 - Oceanography 3 credit hours
PGEO 4000 - Climatology and Climate Change 3 credit hours
Humanities and/or Fine Arts 3 credit hours
Social/Behavioral Sciences 3 credit hours
Cognate electives 6 credit hours
General elective 3 credit hours